Nurse Maureen

I met Maureen and her husband, from across the street from Joy’s house, and they are about as old as me so I know this portrait was painted long ago. Maureen is a retired nurse and she checked on Joy on a regular basis. Her portrait is an interesting departure from the complete image of the head being included in the composition. Maureen has been moved up and to the right which puts her eyes and her mouth on major dynamic points in this composition, sometimes referred to as ‘the rule of thirds’, a design principle not always adhered to exactly as that would likely be somewhat boring, but in practice it divides the rectangular composition in ratios of proportion that are accepted as pleasant by most.